


Get The Ball Rolling

by megsblackfire



Series: Self-Indulgence [2]
Category: Mortal Kombat (Video Games)
Genre: Erron and Van share, F/M, I'm having fun go away, Implied Ko'atalxJade, Kano is good fun to have around, Money is a very good motivator, OC centric, Priceless relics more so
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-01
Updated: 2019-07-01
Packaged: 2020-06-02 07:43:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19436989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/megsblackfire/pseuds/megsblackfire
Summary: Van's been given a very interesting offer by the resident Zetarran; act as the go-between at one of the Khanum's soirees for him and a co-conspirator. She doesn't know who the contact is and neither does Reptile, but that's part of the fun, isn't it?





	Get The Ball Rolling

**Author's Note:**

> Everything with Van is self-indulgent because I am not one for canonxOC anymore, but damn it if I'm not having the most fun with my girl as possible.  
> Don't like canon characterxOC stuff? Turn away; this isn't going to interest you.

Van toyed with the koin, glancing at the Zetarran across from her. “Now, run this by me one more time,” she said. “You want me to do what?”

Reptile curled his lip. “I need you to pass along a message,” he growled.

“Uh huh, I got that part,” she said before tossing the koin back to him. “What I don’t get is why the fuck you expect me to do this without telling me who I’m supposed to be contacting. Additionally, why the fucking hell would you think that doing this during Mileena’s little soiree was a good idea?”

“It is the only time that Mileena’s hounds are not constantly watching us,” Reptile said. “And I do not even know his identity.”

“So if could be a woman for all you know.”

“The writing is too messy for that.”

“Have you seen my writing? I write sloppy as fuck.”

Reptile gave her a flat look. “And I can smell that it is a male writer.”

“Okay, so they have a male scribe.”

“Regardless,” he continued before she could derail him further, “I cannot be caught handing this message off. So I need a go-between.”

“And you thought I would do it for you.”

“For the right price,” Reptile growled. “I do not expect you to do this without compensation. What I am doing…well, I know how you work. Half the payment up front; I will pay you the remainder if and when I hear from my associate.”

Van rubbed her jaw as she watched the Zetarran. She had to admit, the thought of helping this sort of insubordination intrigued her. She didn’t mind Mileena, personally; she was a much better ruler than Shao Khan, in her humble opinion; but she knew that a number of people were taking offence to her style of leadership.

She had Shao Khan’s strategical mind, but the Tarkatan flesh that she had been crafted from made her blood-thirsty beyond what was safe. It rubbed a number of her generals and ministers the wrong way, but most of them were too scared to stand against her. She was Shao Khan’s chosen heir, after all, and Kitana was very, very dead and in no state to lead the people of Outworld even if she was so inclined to return.

“This is dangerous,” she mused. “If Mileena finds out that I had a part to play in this, it’s my head on the chopping block.”

“If the right person gets the message, she will never find out,” Reptile said.

“That isn’t reassuring, Reptile,” she said. “Many people schemed against Shao Khan and claimed that he would never find out.”

“Mileena is not Shao Khan.”

“True, but she has ways of finding things out.”

Reptile bared his teeth. “If you wanted additional compensation, you should say so instead of pleading cowardice.”

“Additional compensation? Well now, that’s a wonderful idea,” she smiled. “What could you give me to sweeten this pot, sugar?”

Reptile curled his lip. “Your appropriation of Black’s dialect is disturbing,” he said.

“You should hear me when I’m travelling with Osh-Tekks,” she snorted. “Now, don’t dodge the question.”

Reptile looked at the ground before looking at her. “I know where Mileena keeps Shang Tsung’s personal scrolls.”

Van straightened in her seat. She uncrossed her legs and leaned forward, resting her arms on the table and lacing her fingers together.

“I’m listening.”

Reptile nodded before pulling something out of the satchel on his hip. “The message is encoded,” he said as he pushed a sigil towards her. “And will only activate when the proper soul commands it to. You can pretend that I gave you this as a thank you for our last mission together.”

“For saving your hide,” Van smirked as she ran her fingers over the Zetarran crest. “You were banking on me helping you.”

“I find your habits deplorable, but you are…preferable to others that I could employ.”

“And your contact knows to look for this?” she asked as she picked the crest up.

“He does. Make sure it is in sight, but easily accessable. They do not need to take the crest to retrieve the message, but they need to be able to touch it.”

“And at the soiree where loads of people are going to be brushing past me,” Van let out a soft whistle. “Clever, Reptile. So why not do this yourself?”

“I dare not draw attention to either of us,” Reptile said. “It is still too early to know who my associate is. We need more time.”

“Well,” Van said as she pocketed the crest, “you know where to drop the gold off.” She got to her feet and walked around the table. She leaned forward, feigning kissing Retpile’s cheek in a mockery of palace politics. “Deliver the scroll with the rest of the money. If you lied to me, Mileena won’t get the chance to play with you before you die.”

“I know better than to lie to you where that sorcerer is concerned,” Reptile growled.

“So long as we’re on the same page,” Van said before she straightened and left the eatery.

* * *

Van always did her best to look as uninteresting at soirees as she could manage. It wouldn’t do to come dressed in filthy clothing, but she always chose drab colours rather than the brilliant silks, satins, and other crazy materials that covered the other party-goers. She had no idea what the reason for the soiree was, only that it was supposed to honour Shao Khan in some way or another; Mileena did love to remind everyone that Shao Khan had chosen her as his successor over any other possible candidate.

She had decided on a simple green gown that was loose enough to hang over her pants, but not too loose as to remove her shape altogether. Like any good warrior, she was proud of her physique and hiding it under too many layers was more than a little insulting to her hard work. The neckline of her dress plunged low, but that was only because she had very little cleavage to hold it up.

It was something that a lot of men found disappointing, a lot of women were willing to look past, but few wanted to make it obvious. Like she didn’t know that she had tiny tits; she saw them every day. She personally didn’t care and even when someone tried to mock them, she just pointed out that their significant other didn’t seem to mind them the night before. Most of the time that shut them up.

The Zetarran charm was hanging off her hip towards her back. It was easy enough for people to brush past without noticing and that was what she was counting on. No one would ever notice if her contact took the message. She probably wouldn’t notice anyways; she didn’t know who she was looking for and anyone could take the message without her realizing it. Magic was finicky like that; sometimes she knew where a magic user was at all times, other times, they could be standing right beside her and she wouldn’t know they were there until something went sailing overhead.

“Well, if it ain’t my favourite girl!”

Van chuckled as an arm wrapped around her waist. She let herself be pulled against a broad chest, leaning into the man that had dumbly grabbed her. He was lucky that she found him amusing, otherwise his arm would be detached from his body already.

“Favourite?” she asked. “That’s a first.”

“Come on, lovely,” Kano grinned. “I’m sure there’s a quiet place we could go.”

“Ooh, very tempting, but I have to be seen here; Mileena’s been wondering about my loyalties.”

“She pays you, doesn’t she? What does she have to worry about?”

“Leaders are naturally paranoid,” she shrugged before she felt someone purposefully bump into her. “Rude.”

Rain glared at her, but didn’t say anything. Wouldn’t it be hilarious if he was supposed to be her contact? She highly doubted it; the man’s head was shoved so far up his own ass that she was amazed he could even breathe properly. If he was going to betray Mileena, he would do so by himself so that he didn’t have to share credit with anyone. The half-god of Edenia would be all too happy to gloat about his “victory” to anyone that wanted to listen. He certainly wouldn’t want to work with a Zetarran.

“That’s a pretty bauble,” Kano said as he thumbed the crest. “Where’d you get it?”

“Reptile,” she shrugged. “A thank you gift for saving his hide a few weeks ago.”

“Heard about that; how’d those beasts get the drop on you?”

“Unknown territory and lots of idiots that wouldn’t keep their traps shut,” she sighed. “At least Baraka was all too happy to kick the shit out of the Tarkatans that made it back.”

“I told Mileena that she should have sent Osh-Tekk,” General Ko’atal’s voice sounded behind her.

She turned to face the massive man, smiling as Kano twisted to follow her. The general had a perpetual dour look to his face; she wasn’t sure if he had smiled since Jade had died in Earthrealm; but his eyes were as warm as ever.

“She puts more faith in the Tarkatans than she does other races,” Van said. “A detriment, for sure.”

Ko’atal’s eyes narrowed momentarily. “Such talk is dangerous, Vanessa.”

“I’m merely making an observation after seeing the Tarkatans fuck up royally and not receive any sort of royal punishment,” she shrugged. “That was my ass on the line and I have every right to be pissed.”

“Can dress her up, but you can’t take her out,” Kano laughed before pressing a sloppy kiss to her cheek. “How does Erron put up with you?”

Van’s hand shot up and tugged on Kano’s beard, drawing a pained grunt from him. “Don’t you insult him when he’s not here to kick your ass,” she warned. “He’s not afraid to put a bullet somewhere unpleasant.”

“Like you are,” Kano laughed. “I’ve seen you work that rifle of yours. Don’t think I’ve ever seen a Shaolin drop like that.”

“That was a lucky shot,” Van smiled, remembering that particular kill fondly. “And it wouldn’t have happened if the Shaolin hadn’t been distracted by a certain Black Dragon.”

“All in a day’s work,” Kano grinned.

Ko’atal excused himself from the conversation, brushing past her. She felt a faint glimmer of magic trail across her waist and almost sighed in exasperation. Really, that was her contact? Reptile was an idiot if he didn’t already know that the great General Ko’atal was his mysterious accomplice. Osh-Tekks had such an obvious writing pattern and they were horrible at hiding it.

“Should get you a drink,” Kano chuckled in her ear before nibbling on the lobe.

She turned and put a finger against his lips, smirking at the hungry look in his eyes. “You’re lucky I’m lonely,” she said. “But, I have duties I need to tend to. If you’re still up for a tumble later, you know where my rooms are.”

She gave him a teasingly chaste kiss before slipping from his hold. He let her go with a chuckle, calling after her that he’d hold her to that promise. She rolled her eyes in amusement, knowing damn well that the drunk was going to be passed out cold on the chaise lounge by the time she returned to her room. The most action he was going to get was whatever dirty dream his drunken mind cooked up.

She weaved her way through the crowd, finding Mileena easily enough at the center. The Khanum looked as regal as ever and her yellow eyes bore dangerously into every face that vied for her attention. Her slit-pupiled eyes found Van quickly enough and she crooked a finger, summoning her to her side. Van dipped her head politely; she didn’t bow if she didn’t absolutely have to; and Mileena growled in approval.

“Mileena Khanum,” Van greeted. “This is quite the party.”

“The people of Outworld need to remember what fun is,” Mileena said. Van could hear the smirk on her lips; Mileena always wore a veil to hide her obvious Tarkatan heritage. “What better way than with a bit of alcohol?”

“Many would claim that the opportunity to kill others is fun,” Van said.

“That is business, unfortunately,” Mileena sighed dramatically.

Van chuckled. “How unfortunate.”

Mileena’s eyes bore into her before she gestured to the crest on her hip. “Reptile gave that to you?”

“As a thank you for saving his hide.”

“Yes,” Mileena’s eyes narrowed. “The incompetence of the war party almost got you all killed. It would have been difficult to replace you.”

Van smirked and bowed, flourishing her arm out beside her. “I live to serve the Empress of Outworld however I am able,” she said. “I am honored that you find me and my talents so valuable.”

“Your scouting capabilities make you indispensable,” Mileena said. “I would task you with training the other scouts if I thought they could be trained.”

“Tarkatans are set in their ways, I’m afraid,” Van sighed.

Mileena snorted and Van guessed it was of annoyance. She favoured the Tarkatans greatly, but she wasn’t so blind as to think that they were the best fighters in Outworld. They were brutal; no one could argue that; but they lacked in a lot of other departments. Personally, she thought all the races were lacking in one area or another, but that was her opinion and it didn’t count for much to any of the nobles for whatever reason.

She heard the faint clicking of spurs on stone and turned slightly. The crowds parted around a bloody man carrying a sack over his shoulder. Whispers started flying immediately as the man bowed stiffly to Mileena; Van saw his eyes narrow and knew that he was wincing under his facemask.

“Mileena Khanum,” Erron Black greeted. “I have the oni’s head.”

Mileena’s eyes brightened. “Show me.”

Erron dropped the sack from his shoulder and opened it. He rummaged through the stinking sack before lifting up the decapitated head of a multi-eyed oni that had been harassing one of the small settlements to the south. Mileena growled her approval as she stepped forward to take the head from Erron. She checked the grisly gift over carefully, making sure that the oni was the one she had paid Erron to kill, before tossing it to one of the Tarkatan guards that always hung around her.

“Bring that to my throne room,” she ordered. “You did well, Erron Black. I should give you a bonus for bringing me not only one head, but the heads of the oni’s companions.”

“Not as many as I would have liked,” Erron huffed as he gave the sack a prod with the toe of his boot. “Not my cleanest kills, I’m afraid.”

Several busted heads tumbled out of the sack as it fell over. Van saw a few of Mileena’s courtiers waver at the sight of so many decapitated heads. Van did her best not to drool at the scent of souls clinging to the heads. If only there weren’t a bunch of people around to watch her turn into a slavering animal; she could really use a hit of souls.

“More than clean enough,” Mileena purred. “I will ensure that a proper bonus is delivered to you.”

She waved a hand in dismissal and Erron immediately turned towards Van. She stepped closer and he sagged against her shoulder, letting her lead him across the room to a chair. He groaned as soon as his ass hit the seat, throwing his body back against the wall.

“Fuck,” he groaned.

“You look like shit,” she said as she pulled his hat and mask off.

“Should see the other guy,” he managed to grin before closing his eyes and groaning again.

Van shook her head as she cupped his cheek. She hummed quietly, focusing on his life energy to figure out where he was hurt. She found a lot of bruising, a cracked rib, and a cut across his back that was still weeping, but nothing life-threatening. She opened her eyes and patted his cheek.

“You are damn lucky, Erron,” she said. “You’re going to live.”

“Yay,” he groaned. “Feel like I got ran over by a herd of buffalo.”

“You’re bruised to shit,” she said. “Could have been a whole lot worse.”

His arm wrapped slowly around her waist and she was pulled onto his lap. She chuckled as she straddled him, lifting an eyebrow as he dropped his face onto her chest. He immediately started kissing and sucking on her collarbone, working his fingers into the material of her dress. She tutted as she reached down to pull his hands away.

“Don’t ruin the dress,” she warned. “I can handle blood just fine, but don’t go pulling threads.”

“Just gonna rip it off ya anyways,” he grumbled against her chest.

“Like hell you are,” she pursed her lips. “I don’t get to wear nice things often and you aren’t destroying one of my few dresses.”

“Buy you a new one.”

“This is hand-made.”

“Could still….”

“By one of the few remaining Rattlers in Earthrealm.”

“Oh.” That got his attention. “Alright, not tearing this one.”

“Good boy,” she said as she patted his head. “Now, as much as I love you loving my chest, you need to go get cleaned up.”

“Thought you liked seeing me covered in blood.”

“I do, but you need to sleep before you even think of doing anything more strenuous than walking.”

“I’m fine.”

Van gave him a flat look before getting to her feet. “Get.”

“What, you aren’t coming to snuggle?” he chuckled.

“There’s music and there’s booze; I’m staying here and dancing,” she smirked. “Kano might be in the room by now. If he’s still awake, he might be up for a tumble.”

“Why’s he there?”

“I was lonely.”

“Ah.”

“He’s drunk, so it won’t go very far before he’s snoring facedown in a puddle of his own drool.”

“Why do we put up with this guy again?”

Van shrugged. Really, she wasn’t sure why the two of them endured Kano as well as they did. The man was as untrustworthy as they got; fox in the hen-house, if she was remembering the saying correctly; but damn if he wasn’t fun. He would probably be the death of them one day, but it would be one hell of a ride.

Erron swayed as he got to his feet, but he remained upright. He pressed his nose against her cheek, eyes unfocused and he probably didn’t realize that he hadn’t kissed her. If she wasn’t certain of his injuries, she might have been worried about a concussion. She patted his arm and he shuffled off, pushing his way through the crowd towards the palace.

Now she just had to find a dance partner.

* * *

“The gold, as promised,” Reptile said as he dropped the coinpurse onto the table. “And the scroll.”

He set the box on the table beside the purse and Van could feel the ancient magic rolling off of it. She pulled the box towards herself and looked it over carefully. It was one of Shang Tsung’s soulboxes; the only way to get it open was through the sacrifice of a soul. Anyone else would have died trying to open it; she, luckily, had a few to spare. Later, when Reptile wasn’t there, of course. No need to freak out her temporary employer.

“I want you to know that neither of you are subtle,” she said as she set her hands over the box. “Mileena will figure out what you’re up to real fast and I won’t save your hide.”

“You will not be implicated,” Reptile promised.

“I’ll believe that when I see it,” Van snorted before waving a hand. “Now get.”

Reptile’s eyes narrowed, but he left the room without complaint. She ran her fingers over the carvings on the lid of the soulbox and sighed. She was going to have to be careful with this or Erron was going to get hurt by accident. She could have opened it right then and there, but she didn’t want to know what the scroll said. She just wanted to make sure it didn’t end up in anyone else’s hands.

She’d probably bury it in a closet with a note that said “don’t touch on threat of death” and leave it. If anyone tried to take it and wasn’t a soul sorcerer, they’d be dead when she returned to her room. Easy enough to dispose of after that.

As for Ko’atal and Reptile, she hoped the two dumbasses knew what they were doing. If they didn’t, her ass was on the line too. She was almost tempted to tell both of them to stop the petty scheming because it wouldn’t get them anywhere, but she knew it would be ignored. Outworlders tended to ignore anyone that wasn’t one of their own on some misguided belief that “outsiders don’t understand”, forgetting that she had been raised in Outworld from the age of eight and knew all about the palace traditions the ways of the people that made up the inner most council.

Whatever, it would be their heads on Mileena’s throne when they fucked up. She could worm her way into Mileena’s good books and hopefully feign innocence when the time came. She was good at that.

**Author's Note:**

> Look at Erron bringing in the bounty while Van gets to be a little sneaky right under her Khanum's nose. Reptile and Ko'atal better hope that they don't get in trouble or she will waste them.


End file.
